Two-time V8 Supercars champion and Australian racing legend Marcos Ambrose – who is returning to Australia after eight years in the US NASCAR circuit to race the Sydney NRMA 500 season finale – appeared at a launch event this morning at Lakeside Park in Brisbane to unveil the Xbox Racing Ford Falcon FG he will drive on December 5-7.

Through partnerships with the Bathurst 1000 and other major global racing events, long term association with Mark Skaife as a racing advisor, and a decade-long investment in the award-winning Forza Motorsport franchise, Xbox has a long history and commitment to racing and racing fans. The custom Xbox livery, revealed today at Lakeside on Ambrose’s car, was created by Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios using the livery creation tools available to players of the game. Beginning this weekend, racing and gaming fans alike now have the chance to trial the Xbox Racing Ford Falcon FG in-game which will be sent to all Forza Motorsport 5 players.

“The whole package has come together perfectly,” commented Marcos Ambrose, who only arrived back in Australia from the final NASCAR race in the US a mere 48 hours before the launch. “I have been eager to get back in the V8 Supercar and I’m a gamer myself, so to head to Sydney with Xbox as our major partner is a fantastic outcome. Today is the first time the Xbox / DJR team have been together, so no doubt we will work really hard over the next week and arrive in Sydney ready to go.”

Jeremy Hinton, Business Group Lead for Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft Australia, said: “We know our fans are passionate about racing – especially V8 supercars. This is the latest step in our journey of contributing towards the racing world in a very real and tangible way, and follows our Bathurst 1000 wildcard entry last season. We also gave Xbox fans the first chance to drive a laser-scanned replica of the Bathurst track in Forza Motorsport 5 to celebrate the occasion, which we know they loved as it has been driven by over 2.6 million gamers worldwide to date. Coupled with our partnership with Foxtel – the broadcasting home of V8 racing in 2015 – we truly believe Xbox One is the home of racing in Australia.”

“Once we knew that Marcos could get back here to race and V8 Supercars confirmed the entry it was full steam ahead.” Team Principal and five time champion Dick Johnson said. “We will run three cars at Homebush so we were focussed heavily on securing a great partner to launch Ambrose’s return to the series. To have such a high profile brand as Xbox on the car in Sydney is the icing on the cake.”

About Dick Johnson Racing

One of the most iconic teams in Australian motorsport, Dick Johnson Racing heads into the 2015 V8 Supercars Championship with a powerful new relationship with the legendary USA Team Penske. The new look DJR Team Penske has already announced the return of Marcos Ambrose to drive the famous #17 Falcon in the 2015 V8 Supercars Championship.

The team is the most successful and longest running motor sports team in Australia. With seven Australian Touring Car / V8 Supercars Championships plus three Bathurst 1000 victories, DJR continues to be one of the most respected and popular teams on the grid.

About Xbox

For all the latest Xbox news and updates, further information and media assets, please visit the Xbox Wire (http://news.xbox.com/). For all the latest PAX news and information specifically for Xbox, stay tuned to the Xbox Australia Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/XboxAustralia) or Twitter account (https://twitter.com/XboxAustralia) or simply visit the PAX Australia website (http://aus.paxsite.com/)

About Forza Motorsport

Forza Motorsport is the best-selling racing series on Xbox and the highest-rated racing series of the past ten years (Source: Metacritic). Welcoming racing gamers of all types, Forza Motorsport games combine unprecedented visuals with the industry’s leading simulation engine, giving everyone the opportunity to truly feel what it’s like to own, race and customize the cars of their dreams.

Forza Motorsport is developed by Microsoft’s award-winning game developer Turn 10 Studios. Forza Motorsport 5: Game of the Year Edition and Forza Horizon 2 are available now for Xbox One.

Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 500 major race wins, over 570 pole positions and 33 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 52-year history, the team has also earned 17 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win and overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. For 2018, Team Penske will compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske.